EDITED TO ADD: APPARENTLY I AM NOT WRITING ABOUT PASSIVE VOICE, AS IS NOTED IN THE COMMENTS. THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME WHEN WRITING MY NOVELS. IF THIS TYPE OF HELP DOESN'T HELP YOU, THAT'S COOL. I HAVEN'T TAKEN AN ENGLISH CLASS FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS. CHILL. EDITED AGAIN: I CHANGED THE TITLE SO AS NOT TO MISLEAD ANYONE WHO IS A PURIST. IN MY OWN HEAD, TO WRITE MY OWN NOVELS I REFER TO WHAT IS … [Read more...] about Passive verbs suck.
Writing Advice
Choosing a POV for your novel
Sometimes, I hear voices. Oh, c'mon, you probably do too. Sometimes my stories arrive in the form of a character who's got something to say, and then it's "easy" to determine POV. Point of View means not only who is telling your story, but through whose lens the story is revealed to the reader -- and that has many implications, doesn't it. Your reader can only see and know what the POV … [Read more...] about Choosing a POV for your novel
The Secret To Writing A Novel
Think of your dead stops as hurdles, not walls. As I stared at the monitor I knew, in the deepest part of my writer's heart, that the chapter I'd just written, sucked. The writing didn't suck, mind you. The insights were fresh, the main character was witty in the right places. I'd layered in the right amounts of atmosphere, backstory, and subplot, but not too much. The dialogue was … [Read more...] about The Secret To Writing A Novel
When Writing a Novel is like Grilling a Steak
Vegetarian here, but I couldn't think of a better metaphor for where I am in the writing process than steak. I watch those cooking shows, and I ate meat until 4 years ago. (I'm also not a militant vegetarian. If you want to eat dead animals, have at it. ;-) You can even eat them in my presence. I worry about me, not you. Plus, this is not a blog about food.) Anyhoo -- here's the deal -- you … [Read more...] about When Writing a Novel is like Grilling a Steak